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A26 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 27 May 2020
Lock your cars! Vehicle theft spikes in COVID-19 pandemic

criminals working quickly
on "car prowls."
"It's really 10 seconds," he
said. "They're not spending
a lot of time in your car. It's
a smash-and-grab-and-
go," sometimes in broad
daylight.
Wilking worries the numbers
will keep rising because
"people get more desper-
ate as time goes on."
In Baltimore, though, a push
to reduce the city's histori-
cally high numbers of ve-
hicle thefts and burglaries
appears to have paid off.
Thefts from autos plunged
24% and stolen vehicles
dropped 19% from January
to May compared with the
same period last year.
Col. Richard Worley, the
chief of patrol, in part cred-
its aggressive efforts to re-
mind residents to lock their
cars, take their keys home
and park in well-lit areas.
In this case, however, the
pandemic has actually
This Thursday, May 21, 2020, photo shows a parked car with a broken driver's side window after a smash-and-grab break-in in Los helped police:
Angeles.
Associated Press Residents are home, driving
less and keeping an eye
By STEFANIE DAZIO period last year. And many In Austin, Texas, last month, ing their luck. Criminals are on the neighborhood, and
Associated Press other law enforcement a whopping 72% of the 322 out of work and have more officers now have time for
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The agencies around the U.S. stolen vehicles had their time on their hands or need proactive patrols because
coronavirus hasn't been are reporting an increase keys nearby. The total num- fast money to support a calls for service and violent
kind to car owners. in stolen cars and vehicle ber of auto thefts in April drug habit. crime have decreased. A
With more people than burglaries, even as violent spiked about 50%, and bur- "You can get on the inter- thief was recently arrested
ever staying home to lessen crime has dropped dra- glaries to vehicles were up net nowadays and learn with 13 stolen catalytic
the spread of COVID-19, matically nationwide in the 2% from April 2019. how to break into vehicles converters during a motor
their sedans, pickup trucks coronavirus pandemic. It's The virus has created a just searching YouTube," vehicle stop.
and SUVs are parked unat- a low-risk crime with a po- "perfect storm," said Austin Vetrano said. Sometimes, however, it's
tended on the streets, mak- tentially high reward, police police Sgt. Chris Vetrano, (He should know: Someone just a matter of luck. Like for
ing them easy targets for say, especially when many a supervisor in the 11-de- broke into his locked Ford Lindsey Eldridge, the police
opportunistic thieves. drivers leave their doors un- tective auto theft unit that F-150 pickup truck, one of department's community
Despite silent streets and locked or their keys inside. investigates stolen vehicle the most commonly sto- outreach coordinator, who
nearly nonexistent traffic, "You might as well put a cases. len vehicles, about a year left her keys in her car's cu-
vehicle larcenies shot up sticker on the window that The elements for that storm: ago.) pholder. She realized her
63% in New York and near- says 'come take my stuff,'" Drivers are at home and Salt Lake City police Detec- mistake just before falling
ly 17% in Los Angeles from said an exasperated Alex not using or checking their tive Greg Wilking said a 22% asleep.
Jan. 1 through mid-May, Villanueva, the Los Angeles cars regularly. School's spike in vehicle burglaries As Worley said: "She could
compared with the same County sheriff. out, so teenagers are try- there could be from a few have been a statistic."q

Pharmacist, used car salesman charged with COVID-19 fraud

NEW YORK (AP) — A pharmacist masked by law enforcement and Schirripa “exploited an unprec- to law enforcement, defrauding
and a used car salesman were brought to justice for his alleged edented crisis to engage in profi- Medicare and Medicaid, and ex-
arrested Tuesday on charges that greedy crimes,” Philip R. Bartlett, teering,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney ploiting the personal information
they designed frauds to capitalize head of the New York office of the Geoffrey S. Berman said in a re- of his pharmacy’s customers to fill
on the search for masks and other U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said lease. prescriptions, Berman said.
protective equipment during the in a release. Schirripa spent over $200,000 to ac- Peter C. Fitzhugh, head of the New
coronavirus pandemic. His attorney declined to comment. cumulate N95 masks and then sold York office of the Homeland Se-
Pharmacist Richard Schirripa, 66, of In a separate case, federal au- masks at inflated prices, charging curity Investigations, said Schirripa
Fort Salonga, New York, was listed thorities arrested New Jersey used customers as much as 50% more accumulated the masks in March
with the alias “the Mask Man” as he car salesman Ronald Romano on than what he paid for them, Ber- and April.
was charged with several crimes, charges that he tried to get New man said. Romano, 58, of Manalapan, New
including violating the Defense York City to pay $45 million for per- The prosecutor said Schirripa even Jersey, was charged with con-
Production Act by hoarding and sonal protective equipment he told an undercover officer: “I feel spiring to commit wire fraud, wire
price gouging scarce N95 masks. didn’t have. A message for com- like a drug dealer.” fraud and conspiring to violate the
“The ‘mask man’ has been un- ment was left with his lawyer. He was also charged with lying Defense Production Act.q